In his native Cape Verde, Ildo Lobo is seen as the archipelago's greatest singers, heir to a tradition shaped by Bana and popularized worldwide by Cesaria Evora. Lobo also has strong political commitments and his plain speaking is legendary.
For years, he was the singer and star of the Os Tubaroes group, long viewed as Cape Verde's "official" band in the days of the Marxist government. As such, he regularly traveled abroad to represent his country. Os Tubaroes (The Sharks) became the ambassadors of Capeverdean music, exporting their funana, coladera and morna beats all over the world.
Today, the group is no more. One of its particularities was that none of its members was a full-time musician, they were also lawyers, doctors, civil servants and so on. In fact, Ildo Lobo is a customs officer. As you might imagine, it is difficult to keep up another career while working in the performing arts, but in countries such as Cape Verde (or Martinique for Malavoi in Paul Rosine's day), it is rarely an option for musicians to practice their art full-time. In 1996, Ildo Lobo recorded his first solo album, "Nos Morna". The record was a tribute to his father who had died a few years before and was composed entirely of mornas. Antoninho Lobo was one of Cape Verde's great singers, leaving his personal mark on the morna played on the island of Santiago, and his son is carrying on the tradition today. « Nos Morna » was produced by Mario Lucio, the charismatic front man of the band Simentera, and recorded in Paris with the finest musicians from the island of Santiago. In 2001, Ildo has released his new album entitled «Intelectual», still in partnership with his old songwriting companions, but accompanied by Cesaria Evora's musicians this time. After some health problems that kept him away from his musical activities for a while, Ildo returned to the studio during the summer 2004, together with Cesaria Evora’s musicians. The pianist Fernando (Nando) Andrade, who made the arrangements on Cesaria’s two last albums, produced the album.
Ildo decided to name the album from the song «INCONDICIONAL», the title of a morna composed by Constantino Cardoso, a young writer he wanted to give his chance. Another beautiful morna opens the CD, Nha Fidjo Matcho, the last song written by Ildo, in which a father gives advice to his son: «My son listen to my advice, Do not open your mouth to sing, If you sing or play the music, Beautiful women will cause your lost».
Nos Morna
Ildo Lobo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rancá bô bai bô tcha'm li, ness Cabo Verde suave e doce, nôs terra mãe
Inspiração di nôs poeta, princesa di nôs serenata
Na noite serena di luar, dbóch d'janela dum cretcheu
Na tchoradinha dum violão.
Cabo Verde sem morna, pa mim el ê terra sem sol sem calor
Noiva sem grinalda, vitória sem glória dum povo cristão
Bem bô d'zem bô nome, se bô ê fidjo cabverdiano
The lyrics to Ildo Lobo's song Nos Morna celebrate the cultural and emotional importance of Morna music in the Cape Verdean community. Morna, described as the "queen" of Cape Verdean music, is a genre that originated in the islands and is characterized by its soulful melodies and lyrics that often touch on themes of love, loss, and longing. The song begins by acknowledging the powerful hold that Morna has over the people of Cape Verde, describing it as a "sweet and gentle" part of their national identity. The lyrics go on to paint a scene of a poet finding inspiration in the moonlit night as he listens to the mournful strains of a guitar, a depiction that highlights the deep emotional impact that the music has on its listeners.
The song emphasizes that Morna is an essential part of Cape Verdean culture, and its absence would render the islands incomplete. Lobo sings that without Morna, Cape Verde would be like a land without sun or warmth, a bride without a veil, and a victory without glory for a Christian people. In the final lines of the song, Lobo celebrates the unifying power of the music, urging listeners to embrace their Cape Verdean identity and come together to sing the Morna.
Line by Line Meaning
Si bô ca crê uvi morna, música raínha di nôs terra
If you don't want to listen to morna, the queen music of our land
Rancá bô bai bô tcha'm li, ness Cabo Verde suave e doce, nôs terra mãe
Then go elsewhere to a place that is not our gentle and sweet motherland of Cape Verde
Inspiração di nôs poeta, princesa di nôs serenata
Morna is the inspiration of our poets and the princess of our serenades
Na noite serena di luar, dbóch d'janela dum cretcheu
On a peaceful night under the moon, a lover listens from the window
Na tchoradinha dum violão.
As the guitar weeps.
Cabo Verde sem morna, pa mim el ê terra sem sol sem calor
To me, Cape Verde without morna is a land without sun or warmth
Noiva sem grinalda, vitória sem glória dum povo cristão
Like a bride without a veil or a Christian people without victory
Bem bô d'zem bô nome, se bô ê fidjo cabverdiano
Proudly say your name if you are a Cape Verdean child
Bem nô junta voz, nô bem cantá nõs morna.
Let's join our voices and sing our morna.
Contributed by Joseph B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@fernandonareba2986
Sou Brasileiro e como músico amador ,sou apaixonado por cultura, e Cabo Verde mexe com minha sensibilidade ❤️
@helidaagues8039
“Cabo Verde sem morna, pa mi el é terra, sem sol e sem calor “ 🇨🇻 ♥️
@rosamaia9750
O Rei/ILDO LOBO,saudade sem fim
@gomesantonio7005
quando a musica mexe com a nossa alma so se pode dizer OBRIGADO ILDO LOBO DESCANSA EM PAZ
@domingosadrianoafonso5127
Povo irmão de Cabo Verde. Obrigado pela vossa morna, que é também nossa, de Africa, da humanidade toda, por ser ela também um património da humanidade.
@rosamaia9750
O caboverdiano mais bonito,para sempre no meu coração, presente ILDO LOBO ❤❤
@Icneumone7
Lindo lindo lindo lindo linda linda linda linda música Cabo Verdiana.
Abraços de Portugal
@HenriqueFilomenoDasilva-yz3hq
Yo soy caboverdeano e adoro las muisicas latinas mi gusta mutcho
@rosamaia9750
Sempre e para sempre,descansa em paz meu ídolo 😢❤
@romangomezgonzalez6894
Tremenda canción, cómo todas las que interpreta Ildo. Saludos desde México de un gran admirador de las MORNAS.